


Changing Emotions

by halcyyonn



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, accidental reveal, felinette - Freeform, sudden crush realisation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:22:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24318772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halcyyonn/pseuds/halcyyonn
Summary: After Felix accidentally witnesses Ladybug transforming back into Marinette, he realises he's had a crush on the hero for longer than he would like to admit. Deciding there was only one way forward, Felix is determined to get closer to Marinette so he can tell her what he found out.
Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Félix Graham de Vanily
Comments: 3
Kudos: 174





	Changing Emotions

When he had first met Ladybug, he had despised her. He hated the idea of an entire city idolising someone who seemed to be a teenager, and to make it worse everyone treated her like she could do no wrong. But, the more he observed Ladybug and everything that she did, he realised that she wasn’t as bad as he had originally thought. His feelings for her changed, but not enough to change his mind completely. It still seemed rash to hand so much responsibility to someone his age. 

There was a small part of him that admired her, even if it was begrudgingly. Felix could recognise that she had a lot resting on her shoulders, and she managed to handle it fairly well. He didn’t know how well she coped with it when the suit was gone, but he didn’t spend enough time theorising about Ladybug’s identity to worry about his lack of knowledge. 

On the other hand, he absolutely despised Marinette. Always had and was certain he always would. Something about her almost constant bubbly nature got under his skin. Somehow, in the time he had been forced to attend his cousin’s school, he had only seen her look sad once or twice, even when dealing with Lila. Even though it shouldn’t, it bothered Felix, despite not knowing her identity. 

Which is why he was counting down the days until he could return to his school, where he belonged. It was bad enough that he had to be stuck visiting his cousin and unpleasant uncle for nearly two months but having to attend College Francois Dupont was the icing on the cake. Felix didn’t think there was much else in his life that was worse than dealing with Adrien’s friends.

Of course, they seemed to share the sentiment. No one wanted to talk to him after the stunt he pulled the first time he met them, but that didn’t bother Felix in the slightest. He preferred to be left alone and have some peace and quiet for once. 

It was this wish for calm that led to Felix sitting in a janitor’s closet, reading. It seemed to be the only place he could get the privacy he wanted. Not even Lila bothered him in here, despite trying so hard to get him to believe everything she said. He had found a place to be alone. 

Or so he thought, until the door burst open and Ladybug ran into the room. She slammed the door as her transformation released, the room being lit up bright pink. Felix covered his eyes with his book and waited. Surely, Ladybug would have noticed he was sitting at the back of the closet, right? The defender of Paris couldn’t be that unobservant, especially not from the way she created plans to fight akumas. And yet, she didn’t say anything. 

The closet door opened again as Felix moved the book from his eyes. Even though he didn’t care much about Ladybug’s identity, his curiosity got the better of him. A quick peek wouldn’t hurt, and he wouldn’t tell anyone. Everyone interested in Ladybug’s identity annoyed Felix to no end.

As Ladybug left the closet again, Felix caught sight of two pigtails and small purse. His eyes widened as he connected the pieces. The only person that wore pigtails and had a custom bag with flower and the letter ‘m’ was Marinette Dupain-Cheng. 

Felix was conflicted. On one hand, he admired Ladybug for managing to fight akumas consistently and efficiently. On the other, he despised Marinette and every positive bone in her body. But they were the same person. How were they so different?

Maybe they weren’t. Felix tried to remember everything he knew about Ladybug and Marinette but found that everything was blurring together quickly. Marinette was becoming Ladybug, except for the suit and magic yo-yo. They shared many of the same qualities. All the times Marinette stood up to him and Chloe mirrored the times she had stood up to akumas in order to protect the city. 

The more he thought about Marinette, the more Felix realised the predicament he was in. He had a crush on Marinette, Ladybug, whatever she called herself at the time. 

And he knew her identity, but she wasn’t aware. 

A thousand and one things ran through Felix’s mind. This shouldn’t be happening. He was calm and analytical, such a simple thing as a crush didn’t affect him like this. Felix Graham de Vanily did not get flustered, he did not let his mind run away with the first thing it fancied. 

He had to tell her. It was wrong to keep this from her. Surely, if he knew, Marinette could be in danger, as well as the people around her. But he couldn’t just walk up and say he knew she was Ladybug. No. She had to trust him, otherwise, everything would go wrong. Felix closed his book, nodding to himself. In order to tell Marinette that he knew she was Ladybug, he would have to befriend her. Even if that meant getting closer to her friends, too. He shuddered, knowing this was inevitable. Constantly being a good person must be exhausting. 

Marinette was sitting on a bench outside the school, confused. She couldn’t work out for the life of her why Felix had started being nice to everyone out of nowhere. He had gone from being aloof and cold to everyone he came into contact with to actually making an effort to spend time with people in a few measly hours. It made no sense. Even if it did make sense, his change in attitude was so sudden Marinette thought it was an akuma.

But no, the strange behaviour continued. At this point, it had been weeks since the change and Marinette still hadn't adjusted. No one really had. Not even Adrien knew what was going on, and Felix was his cousin!

However, everyone welcomed the new Felix. Everyone except Lila. She still hated Felix, and the feeling seemed to be mutual. Not that Marinette was complaining. Having an ally that would actually put Lila in her place was a nice change. 

“Good morning, Marinette.” Felix appeared in front of Marinette, and for a moment she thought he could read her thoughts. He sat down next to her and placed his bag next to his feet, as stiff as always. “How are you this fine morning?”

Marinette flipped her sketchbook closed, disappointed she hadn’t managed to draw anything but a few scribbles. “I’m doing well, how are you?”

Felix blushed slightly, hoping Marinette didn’t notice. No matter how much he talked to her, he still acted like an idiot. It was a wonder he hadn’t slipped up and said something embarrassing that he would regret instantly. That had happened before, and it took days before Felix could even think about Marinette again without cringing. “My day is already brighter now that I’ve seen you.”

Both of them froze, faces going almost the same shade of red. Neither seemed to know what to say, especially since this was the first time Felix had flirted with anyone, let alone Marinette. It was so out of character, Marinette’s mind scrambled for an explanation.

The only one she could think of was the most dramatic; Felix was Chat Noir and was trying to reveal his identity. The longer Marinette thought about it, the more it made sense. Chat Noir flirted with Ladybug all the time, and now Felix was flirting with her. But did that mean Felix knew she was Ladybug?

That wasn’t good. If anyone knew her identity, she would have to return her miraculous. If Felix was actually Chat Noir and he told her, he would have to return his miraculous, too! Felix recovered from his embarrassment first, turning to Marinette and placing an arm on the back of the bench. “I have something to tell you.”

“No!” Marinette dropped her sketchbook and leapt forward, covering Felix’s mouth with her hands. “You can’t tell me that!”

Felix narrowed his eyes in confusion. He tried to speak, but his voice was muffled by Marinette’s hands. Gently grasping Marinette’s wrists, Felix moved her hands away from him. “I just wanted to tell you that I think I have a crush on you. What did you think I was going to say?”

Marinette sighed in relief, letting her shoulders drop. She didn’t try to remove her hands from Felix’s, instead letting them fall to the seat between them. “I don’t know.”

“Well, as I was saying. I think I have a crush on you.”

“What!?” Marinette leapt off the bench, barely avoiding stepping on her sketchbook. In her panic to stop Felix revealing his identity, she had completely ignored when he revealed his feelings. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, for the past few weeks I’ve realised that I have a crush on you.” Felix straightened his tie, looking directly into Marinette’s eyes. “Is something wrong?”

“When?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“When did you first realise?”

This was the moment. Felix decided there was no point to delaying the inevitable. Sooner or later, Marinette would realise that he knew her secret identity, and it was better that he told her himself. “When Ladybug finished fighting an akuma and hid in a janitor’s closet to transform back. I was in that closet, trying to find a place to read in peace.”

The colour drained from Marinette’s face as Felix’s words sunk in. She could remember that day clearly. Time was running out on her miraculous and she found the first somewhat secretive location to transform back into Marinette, without even checking if the room was empty. How could she forget something so important? One of the main rules of being a miraculous hero was that no one could know your identity, and yet she had managed to break it! If Master Fu found out about Felix knowing her identity, he would take her miraculous away for good. “You can’t tell anyone.”

“I won’t, I promise. I’m sure there are rules about people knowing your identity, but I accept full responsibility for my actions being reckless and possibly putting people in danger. I sincerely apologise from the bottom of my heart. If I knew my actions would cause you so much distress, I wouldn’t have risked being in the same room as you when your transformation was disappearing.”

Marinette looked into Felix’s eyes, trying to gauge whether he was genuine or not. After a few seconds, she looked away. He meant everything he had said. “This is crazy. This isn’t real, right? This is a dream, or an akuma.”

“There is no akuma, this is all real. I accidentally saw your transformation wear off after an akuma battle, and I do have a crush on you, but I won’t tell anyone. I swear on my life.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I trust you.” And she had to, there were no other choices. Felix would still know her secret, whether or not she trusted him.

“Thank you, Marinette. Your trust means a lot.” Felix grinned in a way that almost confirmed Marinette’s suspicions. “Now that we’ve established all of that, would you be interested on a date with me?”

“I would be honoured, as long as you’re expecting Marinette to show up, not Ladybug.”

“My feelings would not change, regardless of whether or not you’re wearing a mask.”


End file.
